Assorting device



Sept. 4, 1934 HANNEY V J 1,972,558

ASSORTING DEV'ICE Original Filed Spt. a, 1930 ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 4, 1934 UNITED. STATES PATENT- OFFICE- Application September 8, 1930, Serial No. 480,423

. a Renewed February 13, 1934 10 Claims. (01. 40-195 My invention relates to an-assorting device and, particularly,'to, adevice used ,in laundries for assorting or identifying. customers goods. The invention is especially adapted for identifying a plurality of pieces of goods contained in net bags as anentirety.

In the laundering operation, a plurality of pieces of goods are placed in a net bag which is labeled with an identifying markerandthe bag is then passedthrough the various=steps of the laundering operation in which net :bags may be used with a number of other bags after which the bags are assorted according to their identify: ing markers. Forinstance, a single customer may send in a'bundle of laundrywork containing wool goods, white goods, colored goods, starched goods, and silk goods, etc. Therefore, for that customers work there will 'be at least five bundles bearing like identifying markers; So that the bundles containing goods belonging to one customer may be properly assorted, it is desirable to provide an absolute check on the operator so that there will be no mixing or loss of bundles. Previous assorting has been done byplacing nets bearing like numbered tags or checks in one place, ason a hook or bar but this gives rise to the possibility of incorrect reading of identification markers. Furthermore,-there is the possibility thatthe assorter may take'theeasiest wayof attaching-the nets to a hook orbar by slidingthe loops of the safety pins by means of which the identification markers are attached to the nets over the hook or bar and thus avoid the check against error which said markers and bar are intended to provideby their cooperating wards and notches.

Further, previous identifying systems employed in the identification of laundry work have not been of a character such thata sufilcient num ber of diiierent'markers can beprovided for han-. dling the normal load of a commercial laundry. Such limitation in markers has been due to the warding arrangement used between the markers and-racks or the like, the arrangement being such that a tag or marker itself could be reversed or inverted and thus beplaced on a bar or rack other than that for which it was origi nally intended. V a

The objects of my invention are to provide an assorting device forlaundries and particularly one adapted for use with. identifyingvmarkers as used on net bags containing a plurality of pieces of a single customers goods, whereby the assortment will be positively checked and the possibility of bags belonging to another. grou'pbecoming mixed with the customers goods elimi hated; and to provide a means whereby only like identification markers maybe used in conjunction with a'singlebar or support.

Various other objects and advantageous features will appear from the following description 50 of the invention and one embodiment thereof is illustratedin theaccompanying drawing wherein similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts, and wherein: Fig. 1 is a side view of an assorting device embodying'my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;.-Fig..3 isv a cross-sectional view thereof taken onthe line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a-perspective view of an identifying check or marker'used in conjunction with andforming a part ofmy invention.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents a suitable identifying marker or tag adapted to be removably connected to a single piece of laundry Work or to a net bag of such work by a safety pin 2, said pin being connected to the tag by means of a ring 3. In accordance with my invention, the tag. '1 is provided with a suitableperforation 4 adapted to fit loosely over a smooth bar 5 which has an integral guard-supporting bar 6spaced a short distance thereabove in parallel relation therewith. The two bars5 and 6 are secured in any, convenient mannerto a wall or standard 7, such as by means of a bayonet slot 8 cooperating with a pin 9 in a suitable bracket 10 secured to said wall ,or standard.

The free end of the bar 6 carries a box-like guard or shield 11 having an open rear end and a bottom wall provided with a T-shaped slot 12. That portion of the slot 12 corresponding to the head of the T lies in aplane normal to that of the bar 5 and is provided with a plurality of notches 13, that may -be disposed in any manner andform a combination, and the tag 1 is provided with a plurality ofprotuberances l i on each side face thereof, there being one protuberance corresponding to each notch 13 in the guard or shield 11 so that the relatively thin and substantially fiat tag may be passed edgewise upwardly through the head portion of the T-shaped slot 12. It will be noted'thatthe outermost end of the bar. 5 terminates within theJboX-likeguard .or shield 11 which forms ahousing for that end.

In the operation'of this assorting system, it will be noted" that the'port'ion of the .slot 12 corre- .sponding toithe stem of the T-shaped slot is so narrow that. a. vertically disposed tag 1 can not bernoved .laterally 'therethrough in the direction of its transverse axis and the outermost end ofgthe bar 5 is so close to the front end wall of the guard or shield 11 as to further prevent such lateral movement of the tag through the slot. Thus, the tag 1 must be vertically disposed and passed edgewise upwardly through the head portion of the T-shaped slot 12 until the body por tion of the tag is within the guard or shield 11, with its top edge engaging the bottom of bar 6.

The tag is then moved laterally rearward until the receiving end of the bar enters the centrally disposed slot 4 in the tag after which the tag will slide downwardly by gravity on the downwardly inclined bar 5 as shown in Fig. 1, with the part of the tag or identifying member that isoutside of the shield moving through the stemofthe T-shaped slot 12 until it comes to rest against the bracket or against a tag that has previously been disposed on the bar. The tags may be removed from the bar 5 by reversingthe order or procedure just described. I

With this construction it will be seen that tags may be retained in properly assortedsets and after having been'attachedto laundry work will provide a means for insuring correct assorting of the laundry work into proper groups. To conveniently identify theindividual tags of a group of like tags, both so that a group may be properly assorted and so that the combination of tag and bar may be readily apparent, each tag or check preferably has an identifying figure stamped thereon as is indicated at while each guard or shield 11 is provided with a corresponding figure as indicated at 16. Further, there will always be a pluralityof checks and different combinations of checks and bars inasmuch as the use of protuberances on the tags and theguard or shield II which necessitates thatvthe tag must be in one position before it may be moved into cooperative relation with the bar provides such a warding arrangement that an unlimited number of different warding combinations may be used without danger of placing a tag or markeronthe wrong bar. For example, slots 13 and protuberances 14 may have an unlimited number of positions and may vary widely as to number, etc.

What Iclaim is: I I

1. An assorting apparatus for laundry identify-, ing members, comprising a housing having an open end, and a bar adapted to receive a plurality of identifying members,said bar having an identifying member receiving end fproject'ing through the open end of said housing and arranged to coact with a wall of the housing to define an identifying member receivinglocation but slightly thicker than such members and from which they may be moved onto said bar, and warded means in said housing providing an entrance for said identifyi'ng members into suchlocation, the warded means being adapted to coact with wardings on the identifying members whereby to limit such members assembled with said bar to like members only. I j

2. An asserting apparatus for laundry identifying members, comprising a'housing having an open end, and a bar adapted to receive a plurality of identifying members, said bar having an identifying member receiving end projectin through the open end of said housing and"a'rrangedfto coact with a wall of the housing to define an identifying member receivinglocationbut slightly thicker than such members and from which they may be'movedonto said bar, and warded means in said housing providing an entrance for the bar receiving portion only of said identifyingmembers into such location, the remainder of each of said identifying membersbeing outside of said housing, said warded means being adapted to coact with wardings on the identifying members whereby to limit members assembled with said bar to like members only, said housing being provided with a slot whereby said identifying members may move through said slotand along said bar' without interference between said housing and the part thereof disposed outside of said housing.

3. An assorting device for laundry identifying members, said device comprising an elongated support on which the body portions of like members are adapted to be removably mounted, and means associated with the receiving end portion of'said support for limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided with a special shaped gateway edgewise through which the body portions of such like bers are adapted to be removably mounted, and

means associated with the receiving end portion of said support for limiting th mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided below thereceiving end portion of said support with a special shaped gateway edgewise through-which the body portions of such like members must pass before'they can be mounted on said support, the body portion of each of said like members having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of said gateway.

5. An assorting, device for laundry identifying members, said device comprising an'elongated support on which the body portions of like members are adapted to be removably mounted, and means associated withthe receiving end portion of said supportfor limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided with a special shaped gateway edgewise through which the body portions of such like members must pass before they can be mounted on said support, the body portion of each of said like members having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of said gateway, the plane of said gateway being normal to that of said support. I

6. An asserting device for laundry identifying members, said device compris ng an elongated support on which the body portions of'like members are adapted to be removably mounted, and means enclosing the receiving end portion of said support for limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided with a special shaped gateway edgewise through which the body portions of such like members must pass before they can be mounted on said support, the body'portion of each of said like members having a cross-sectional shape correspondingto the shape of said gateway. I 7. An assorting device for laundry identifying members, said device comprising an elongated support on which the body portions of like members are adaptedto be removably mounted, and means associated with the receiving end portion of said support for limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being providedwith a special shaped gateway edgewise through which the body portions of such like members must pass before they can be mounted on said support, the body portion of each of said its like members having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of said gateway, said gateway and a side face of the body portion of each of said like members having cooperating projections and projection-receiving notches.

8. An assorting device for laundry identifying members, said device comprising an elongated support on which the body portions of like meme here are adapted to be removably mounted, said support being inclined to the horizontal so that such like members mounted on the receiving end portion thereof will slide by gravity down along said bar, and means associated with the receiving end portion of said support for limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided with a special shaped gateway edgewise through which the body portions of such like members must pass before they can be mounted on said support, the body portion of each of said like members having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of said gateway.

9. An asserting device for laundry identifying members, comprising a bar on which the body portions of like members are adapted to be removably mounted, and means associated with the receiving end portion of said bar for limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided with a special shaped gatepositioning of the way edgewise through which the body portions of such like members must pass before they can be positioned in front of said bar for subsequent mounting thereon, the body portion of each of said like members being provided with an aperture to receive said bar and having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of said gatewey.

10. An assorting device for laundry identifying members, comprising an elongated support on which the body portions of like membersare adapted to be removably mounted, means arranged below the receiving end portion of said support for limiting the mounting thereon to like members only, said means being provided with a special shaped gateway edgewise through which the body portions of such like members must pass before they can be positioned in front of the receiving end portion of said support for I mounting thereon, and an abutment arranged above the receiving end portion of said support for limiting the upward movement of said members, by engagement therewith, to insure proper body portions thereof in front of said support for the body portion of each of said like members having a cross-sectional shape corresponding to the shape of said gateway.

ANGUS F. HANNEY.

subsequent mounting thereon, 

